The Scream
by Michelle Prodaniuk
“Wow, so, he left you hanging for over 10 hours?” exclaimed Kendell.
“Yeah, should I even keep trying, Kendell?” asked Macy.
“No, don’t respond, and if he doesn’t ever reach out, then just move on. It was only one date, right?” Kendell responded.
“Yeah, it was only one date,” Macy answered, thinking to herself why she could never get a second date. Is it me, is it them? It’s truly hard to say.
“Anyway, should we start the slasher movie you came over to watch?” Kendell asked in a light tone, trying to brighten the mood.
“Yes, of course!” Macy didn’t want to think about her failed attempt to start dating again and the slasher movie seemed more comforting than continuing to think about what went wrong.
Macy and Kendell watched the movie in the comfort of Kendell’s apartment, which was nicely decorated with art on the wall that Kendell had drawn. The white couch they sat on was soft and comfy. Kendell and Macy lived in the same apartment building—Kendell was on floor 14 and Macy lived on 13, but Kendell’s apartment was where they always watched movies together because it was cooler and there was more room on the couch. After the movie ended, Macy felt much better, but also scared about something that she couldn’t pinpoint. Kendell felt the same but didn’t know why. The two friends decided to chat more before leaving each other’s company, when Kendell noticed that her dog, Peach, was shaking and staring into the darkness of the kitchen.
“Feel Peach—she won’t stop shaking,” Kendell said, looking nervous. “She keeps looking at the kitchen.” Both Kendell and Macy stared into the kitchen but saw nothing that would be scaring peach. At that moment, a beeping started coming from the hallway. Kendell and Macy sat listening to the beeping that happened every few minutes.
“Is that, like, a carbon dioxide warning?” asked Macy, looking worriedly at Kendell.
“I’m not sure,” replied Kendell. “Maybe it’s coming from someone else’s apartment. Probably nothing to worry about, right?”
“I think I’m going to head up to my room now before it gets too late and before I get too scared to leave,” said Macy, looking down at her phone to check the time: 2:55 a.m.
“Yeah, it’s getting late. I wish you weren’t leaving me alone! I’m scared now, too,” said Kendell. Macy gave Kendell a good-bye smile and wave and shut the door. She heard Kendell lock the door behind her as soon as the door shut.
Macy hesitated when she approached the door to the staircase. It would be silly to take the elevator up for one flight of stairs, Macy thought to herself. I’ll make a run for it and be back in my room in no time. Macy flung open the door to the staircase and began to run down the stairs to floor 13. She never made it and never left the staircase.
Kendell sat on her couch feeling anxious and afraid—she could have sworn that she heard a loud scream after Macy left, but she pushed the thought out of head. Thinking that she just imagined it and that the terrible shrill of pain that she heard was nothing and that Macy had made it back to her apartment. Kendell started to clean her kitchen as she knew she wouldn’t be getting any sleep until the sun came back up. Loading the dishwasher, Kendell heard a knock at her front door and looked towards her door.
“Hello? Macy, is that you?” Kendell said, approaching the door.
Kendell looked through the peephole to check if Macy had come back, but what Kendell saw was not Macy. Through the peephole, Kendell could see a woman with a white dress that was splattered with blood. The woman had long black hair and black eyes that looked straight through the peephole back at Kendell.
Kendell let out a loud, trembling scream and backed away from her door and the two dogs barked and whined. She looked through the peephole again, not knowing what else to do and saw that the woman was not there anymore. Kendell ran to her room and shut the door, getting on her bed with the two dogs. She lay down in exhaustion, her brain feeling fried and overloaded at the same time.
Kendell then felt her body being pulled down her bed and she tried to fight the invisible force pulling her. Her strength was not enough to save her from being pulled off the bed, and she hit the floor with a thunderous bang. Then she was pulled towards her closet that was pitch black. Kendell could see a hand on her ankle and looked upwards to see the woman that she saw through the peephole in her closet. Kendell was yanked all the way into the closet and the door slammed closed. All that anyone could hear that night was Kendell’s scream. Even after the police came, they couldn’t get into Kendell’s apartment to help her. They used sledgehammers until the door finally collapsed, but Kendell’s scream had long past by the time they got to the closet. The closet was filled with blood, but there was no sign of Kendell. Police also had found a large amount of blood on in the staircase starting at floor 14 down to the floor 13, but Macy’s body was never recovered.
The apartment building now is almost empty with only 50 residents left that claim every night around 3 a.m. until 6 a.m., the building is filled with the two girls’ screams.
“Yeah, should I even keep trying, Kendell?” asked Macy.
“No, don’t respond, and if he doesn’t ever reach out, then just move on. It was only one date, right?” Kendell responded.
“Yeah, it was only one date,” Macy answered, thinking to herself why she could never get a second date. Is it me, is it them? It’s truly hard to say.
“Anyway, should we start the slasher movie you came over to watch?” Kendell asked in a light tone, trying to brighten the mood.
“Yes, of course!” Macy didn’t want to think about her failed attempt to start dating again and the slasher movie seemed more comforting than continuing to think about what went wrong.
Macy and Kendell watched the movie in the comfort of Kendell’s apartment, which was nicely decorated with art on the wall that Kendell had drawn. The white couch they sat on was soft and comfy. Kendell and Macy lived in the same apartment building—Kendell was on floor 14 and Macy lived on 13, but Kendell’s apartment was where they always watched movies together because it was cooler and there was more room on the couch. After the movie ended, Macy felt much better, but also scared about something that she couldn’t pinpoint. Kendell felt the same but didn’t know why. The two friends decided to chat more before leaving each other’s company, when Kendell noticed that her dog, Peach, was shaking and staring into the darkness of the kitchen.
“Feel Peach—she won’t stop shaking,” Kendell said, looking nervous. “She keeps looking at the kitchen.” Both Kendell and Macy stared into the kitchen but saw nothing that would be scaring peach. At that moment, a beeping started coming from the hallway. Kendell and Macy sat listening to the beeping that happened every few minutes.
“Is that, like, a carbon dioxide warning?” asked Macy, looking worriedly at Kendell.
“I’m not sure,” replied Kendell. “Maybe it’s coming from someone else’s apartment. Probably nothing to worry about, right?”
“I think I’m going to head up to my room now before it gets too late and before I get too scared to leave,” said Macy, looking down at her phone to check the time: 2:55 a.m.
“Yeah, it’s getting late. I wish you weren’t leaving me alone! I’m scared now, too,” said Kendell. Macy gave Kendell a good-bye smile and wave and shut the door. She heard Kendell lock the door behind her as soon as the door shut.
Macy hesitated when she approached the door to the staircase. It would be silly to take the elevator up for one flight of stairs, Macy thought to herself. I’ll make a run for it and be back in my room in no time. Macy flung open the door to the staircase and began to run down the stairs to floor 13. She never made it and never left the staircase.
Kendell sat on her couch feeling anxious and afraid—she could have sworn that she heard a loud scream after Macy left, but she pushed the thought out of head. Thinking that she just imagined it and that the terrible shrill of pain that she heard was nothing and that Macy had made it back to her apartment. Kendell started to clean her kitchen as she knew she wouldn’t be getting any sleep until the sun came back up. Loading the dishwasher, Kendell heard a knock at her front door and looked towards her door.
“Hello? Macy, is that you?” Kendell said, approaching the door.
Kendell looked through the peephole to check if Macy had come back, but what Kendell saw was not Macy. Through the peephole, Kendell could see a woman with a white dress that was splattered with blood. The woman had long black hair and black eyes that looked straight through the peephole back at Kendell.
Kendell let out a loud, trembling scream and backed away from her door and the two dogs barked and whined. She looked through the peephole again, not knowing what else to do and saw that the woman was not there anymore. Kendell ran to her room and shut the door, getting on her bed with the two dogs. She lay down in exhaustion, her brain feeling fried and overloaded at the same time.
Kendell then felt her body being pulled down her bed and she tried to fight the invisible force pulling her. Her strength was not enough to save her from being pulled off the bed, and she hit the floor with a thunderous bang. Then she was pulled towards her closet that was pitch black. Kendell could see a hand on her ankle and looked upwards to see the woman that she saw through the peephole in her closet. Kendell was yanked all the way into the closet and the door slammed closed. All that anyone could hear that night was Kendell’s scream. Even after the police came, they couldn’t get into Kendell’s apartment to help her. They used sledgehammers until the door finally collapsed, but Kendell’s scream had long past by the time they got to the closet. The closet was filled with blood, but there was no sign of Kendell. Police also had found a large amount of blood on in the staircase starting at floor 14 down to the floor 13, but Macy’s body was never recovered.
The apartment building now is almost empty with only 50 residents left that claim every night around 3 a.m. until 6 a.m., the building is filled with the two girls’ screams.
Michelle Prodaniuk lives in Edmonton, Alberta and attends the University of Grant MacEwan. She is currently taking the Library Information Technology program and wants to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.